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Using Bramble FAQs

Everything you need to know to get learning online

Using Bramble FAQs

Everything you need to know to have a great educational experience through Bramble

Can I use a computer and mouse?

Yes, absolutely. You can draw with a mouse, or type with a keyboard. If you have a computer or laptop with a built-in microphone and camera, that will work well. An external microphone and camera can also work.

What if I have a tablet?

If you have a tablet like an iPad, or a writing tablet like a Wacom pad, you can absolutely use this alongside your computer.

How do I set up my tablet?

To activate your tablet as a writing pad, just share your Bramble room link with your tablet (you could do this via email for example). Or enter it directly into the address bar of the Safari browser of your iPad or the Chrome browser of an Android tablet. You will see the session on your tablet and can write and draw, while keeping it open on your computer!

Just remember to mute the microphone and sound on your tablet.

Can I draw and type?

Absolutely! Draw and type in a number of colours. Erase or undo as you need to.

How do I share or upload resources with my tutor?

The platform has various ways you can share and work from PDFs or images:

  • You can drag and drop PDFs or images directly from your computer into the Bramble window.

  • You can hold documents up to the camera and take ‘snapshots’, which will appear directly in your Bramble space.

  • You can upload from your device into Bramble by clicking the ‘Add resource’ icon. Clicking the ‘add resource’ icon will also allow you to add in resources from previous sessions.

This is a versatile tool and enables you to type, write, or draw over your resources. You can use it to add in graphics, perfect circles or shapes, documents, images, excerpts and more.

How many workspaces are there?

You can navigate to a ‘next page’ or ‘previous page’ with the respective right and left arrow icons. Each new page will be clear and you can have as many as you need to work on.

Is it in ‘real-time’?

Yes, the session is in real-time. This means you engage over the Bramble whiteboard, can draw, type, talk, without a delay.

Will the camera always be on?

By default, the camera is off. To turn this on, click the camera icon. While the camera is on, you cannot use the workspace. It’s great to use as a ‘meet and greet’ or ‘hi and bye’ function. Afterall, not many people like staring at the top of your head!

Is it recorded?

Every session is automatically recorded and stored. The session will start recording when one person joins, and finish when everybody has left the room. This is for monitoring and security purposes.

What happens at the end of a session?

A PDF copy of your workspace will be emailed to you at the email you provided when you joined the session. This will include all pages you've used in your session.

It’s my first time, how do I approach it?

If it’s your first session with a Tutor, just be on time. Bring the kind of resources you need. You could always arrange to start a little earlier to make sure the set up works for you both.

Can I use my Firefox or Safari browser?

No, you will need to download and use the Google Chrome browser. Bramble will only work with this browser at present. Safari will only work on an Apple tablet, like an iPad. But avoid using a Tablet as your main device if you can. The audio from Apple operating systems doesn’t work as well.

Do I need a good internet connection?

Ideally, yes. If you struggle to get a good connection, use a wired Ethernet connection. Or move your laptop or PC nearer your router.